Two is Better Than One
by TragicBlackButterfly
Summary: After the test drive of Shinra's new airship crash lands the Gullwings at Djose, sparks fly between an ever wary Rikku and the leader of the Machine Faction. GippalXRikku.
1. Shinra's New Toy

**A/N: Hey people!!! Butterfly here. ^^ This is my first Rikku/Gippal fic so please be gentle in your criticism, and please review. Whether you like it or not, really, I like to know your opinion...Okayz, enough sucking up. I don't own Gippal or Rikku or anyone else featured in this from X/X-2. Hope you enjoy!!**

**Chapter One—Shinra's New Toy**

"This is just _great_!!" I shrieked, ramming my foot into the piece of junk Shinra called an airship. We had been in the middle of test driving it when the engine decided to shut down on us, so now we were stuck between Djose Temple and the Moonflow.

"Stop kicking it!!" Shinra tugged at my leg, trying to pull me away from his _baby_. "You're only going to make it worse!!"

"I don't care!! It's defective!!" I snapped at him stubbornly, still kicking it with the leg he wasn't holding onto.

Yunie sighed, one hand on her hip, the other on her forehead shielding her eyes. "What do we do now? Wakka and Lulu were expecting us in Besaid to babysit Vidina tonight..." Oh, I knew she wasn't worried about seeing Vidina. _Tidus_ was in Besaid. Since the Fayth gave him back, Yunie had abandoned the Gullwings, and it was starting to get on my nerves. They were always _hugging _and _kissing_ and doing stuff on the airship that made Brother plummet into oblivion. Not that I enjoyed the Brother part, but the rest was annoying!!

"Wakka and Lulu will live," said Paine bluntly, an uncaring tone to her voice.

"Paine is right!!" Brother was wallowing on the ground, pretending to be hurt in hopes that Yuna would comfort him. _We _were the ones who had been on the deck when the airship went down. Brother had absolutely NO reason to be whining. "We're stuck in the middle of nowhere!! Hu vuut....hu fydan!!! Fa'na tuusat!!"

"Technically, we're between Djose and the Moonflow," injected Buddy. "So, we can either get help from Tobli or Gippal."

"Tobli!!" I exclaimed quickly. "We should totally get help from Tobli!! He owes us from the last time Yunie starred in his show!!" It had been a really good show, too. Shoopufs _everywhere_!!

"Yeah, but Gippal would know how to work on the airship. I wouldn't trust Tobli touching my baby..." Shinra slapped his hand down on the piece of junk, and it groaned under him and flopped loudly down on the ground in a ore comfortable position.

"But Tobli's hypello are very, _very_ talented!!" I complained, bouncing on the balls of my feet nervously.

"I get the feeling you don't want to see Gippal," said Paine, glancing at me with crimson eyes that were way too smart.

I gaped at her and jumped up and down angrily. "What!!?? Why in the name of Spira would you think that? I like Gippal....most of the time. Seeing him would be refreshing!! Completely refreshing!! In fact, I suggest we go see him and ask for his help on the airship!!" The words were out of my mouth before I'd really thought them through. To be painfully honest, I'd give my right arm to see Gippal. Gippal with his spiky blond hair and sexy eye-patch.

I was so caught up in my daydreaming about Gippal that I almost didn't catch Paine heading off in the direction of the Machine Faction. I ran down the road after her quickly and dove, latching onto her ankle. Yunie said my name, but I ignored her. I was too busy trying to stop Paine from reaching Gippal.

"Wait!! You can't go!!" I cried.

Paine tugged at her leg, glaring down at me with red daggers of malice. "Rikku, let go of me. I thought you said it was a good idea."

"Paine!! Quit dragging her!!" Yunie was in the process of figuring out a way to get me off Paine's leg. Her efforts were, however, in vain. I would never let go!!

"We can't leave Brother unsupervised!!" I exclaimed loudly, my voice strained. "He'll blow up the Moonflow!!"It wasn't entirely untrue...

"He's not unsupervised. Buddy and Shinra are with him. We need to get the airship fixed, and I'm not counting on a kid to do it."

"A very capable kid!! I mean, he did build the whole thing!!" I snapped. I pulled my knees out and up until I was balancing on my toes. I yanked at Paine's leg, anchoring her in position.

"I don't care. The only way we're going to get home is if we have help. Shinra doesn't even have the parts with him to fix the airship. We're going to see Gippal," said Paine in one of those tones that said _question me and you're dead._

"No!!" I screamed. "I don't want to see that egotistical, selfish, cocky, arrogant..." I trailed off, trying to find a way to end this long string of insults. "...Al Bhed." That worked.

"Say, aren't you Al Bhed too?" said an all too familiar voice that sent a thrilling wave of shivers through me. I looked up at Gippal, smiling a little over-enthusiastically.

"Ooooh, hi, Gippal!!" I said, waving to him with one hand. The other I kept tightly wrapped around Paine's ankle. "I didn't see you there!! What're you doing so far away from Djose?" That's right, Rikku, small talk!! It'll confuse him!!

"We saw the airship come down, so I came to make sure you guys were all right. I'd get bad publicity if Spira thought I didn't run to the high summoner's aid," said Gippal.

Yunie smiled in that polite way of hers. "We were just coming to ask for your help. The engine's broke, and Shinra doesn't have the parts to fix it." I wanted to kick her. She was revealing our plans to the enemy!! How could she?

Paine roughly shook her leg, and I tumbled off, landing in a tangled mess at their feet. "Hey!! That was rude!!" I jumped to my feet, flailing my arms angrily through the air.

"So do you think you can help?" Paine asked, completely ignoring me. I deflated, crossing my arms as I pouted.

"Sure. I'll get some of my men out here at once. Buddy and Brother with you?" Gippal asked, also ignoring me. He did that _just_ to spite me.

"Of course they are," said Yunie conversationally. "They'll be happy to have your help."

"Great." Gippal scratched his head once. "You guys may have to stay a night at Djose, depending on the damage done to the airship. Go on ahead and make yourselves comfortable. I'll check out how the airship is and snag the rest of the troupe." He ruffled my hair, tragically ruining it, as he walked past. "Don't cause too much trouble, Cid's Girl."

"I have a name!!" I shrieked at his back, watching him walk away. He waved his arm before disappearing down the path in the direction of the airship's crash site. Once I was sure he was gone, I bit my lip and bounced violently through the air. "Oh, this is not good!! This is _really_ not good!!"

Paine shrugged. "I think you're over-exaggerating. We'll only be here a night at the most. Besides, I thought you liked Gippal."

"Shut up!!" I wailed, tugging at her arm. "He might hear you!!" Gippal and I weren't good together. That's why we broke up. Every time I saw him though, there was that warm feeling I felt in my toes, and it was really annoying. To him, all I am is 'Cid's Girl.' He probably only dated me because of that silly old fool of mine. Still...to spend a whole night with him in the vicinity....it spelled trouble, and not the trouble I like to throw myself into!!

I didn't have any choice, though. We were stuck until the airship was fixed. I could only hope I survived through the night.

**Okay, that's all for chapter one. Please review with whatever you want. Thanks for reading. I'll get chapter two up soon!!**


	2. Stalker

**A/N: Okay, people, I'm back for more!! Thanks again to sango-savino for her help on this fic!! And thanks to everyone who read the first chapter. ^^ I'll stop rambling now. Enjoy!!**

**Chapter Two: Stalker!!!**

I hate Gippal. I mean, I _really_ hate him. I hate him so much, I wish a shoopuf would sit on him and crush him deep into the Farplane abyss.

Still....His skills with machina make me love him.

Most of the Machine Faction had headed out to work on Shinra's piece of junk. Yunie was cuddling up with the Commsphere, talking to Tidus about things that I didn't quite get (who would want to sit around and discuss flowers?), and Paine was refusing to acknowledge my existence. I was left without any real entertainment.

So, I crept around Djose, doing my best to avoid the arrogant Al Bhed who ran the joint. I had to be _sneaky._ Being the master thief that I am, it wasn't that hard. I walked around the temple, marveling at the various machina that Gippal and his team had built. Even Home wasn't as advanced as their machina. I knelt down, tilting my head to look at one.

Then, footsteps!! I shot to my feet and looked around. The hallway was empty. I scratched my chin nervously. I'd swear on Pop's life that I heard something. I had to be _sneakier_!!

I moved further into the temple, glancing around. Another machina caught my eye, a bigger one. I ran over to it and began my inspection. If this place was ready to blow up, I'd turn Gippal in to the Al Bhed Union!! Anything to make trouble for him. I bounced absently from one heel to the other, my green eyes scoping the large machina.

"You look terrifying," I said to it. "I wonder what you do? Knowing Gippal, he'd give you some simple job like buttering toast." I felt a stab of irritation when it didn't budge or make a sound. "Hm...must need some work..." I knelt down and picked up the blueprint by my feet. What better way to hide from Gippal than work on his machina?

I glanced behind me again. Quit being paranoid, Rikku. You did _not_ hear footsteps. It's just the mere thought of Gippal!! It sends your brain into hyperactive mode!! Calm down before your skin turns green and you attack people!!

Wrench in hand, I began to work on the machina. The silence of the room and the thrill of being busy working on an adorable, big, terrifying machina gave me a moment's peace to think. "It's just Gippal. I can handle Gippal. As long as I keep a safe distance away from him for the duration of today, tomorrow, and the rest of my life, I should be able to survive. Right?" I asked the machina. Still no response. Gippal wasn't as good as he or I thought he was. "Stupid Gippal. Why did we get stuck here of all places? I'd rather be in Bikanel boiling in the hot sun than be stuck in the same temple as Gippal for a night, you know."

Oh, poopie!! I was missing a part. I looked at the floor around the machina. "Here, part. Come here...I won't hurt you...much..."

"Tell me if it responds. I'll take you to get help."

With a squeak, I spun around to glare at Gippal. He was leaning against the wall, watching me with his solo eye. I crossed my arms in a stance of defiance and narrowed my eyes into a fierce glare. I was an adamantoise. He was a flan. I would destroy him.

"You jerk!! How long have you been there?" I asked.

"Awhile. I've been tailing you since you snuck off into the Chamber of the Fayth," said Gippal casually, his arms lazily laced over his chest.

"You've been...What??!! Stalker!!" I exclaimed, pointing at him. Suddenly, I felt like the poor, defenseless flan. "Help!! I'm being stalked by a crazed Al Bhed, trying to con me into his lair with promises of machina!!"

Gippal laughed. How _dare_ he!? I was being totally serious. "No one can save you now," he taunted lightly. He reached into his pocket and held up a small object.

"Aha!! My part!!" I thoughtlessly skipped over to him and tried to snatch it out of his hand. He held it up out of my reach, forcing me to jump for it. My attempts were in vain. I hate his tallness. "Hey!! What gives??"

"Technically, it's _my_ part. I could let you have it if you ask nicely," he informed, grinning.

"Gippal!! Hand it over!!" I jumped again, and he laughed.

"That's not nicely. You can't have it now, Cid's Girl." He winked at me. "Get down on your knees and proclaim me your master, and I might reconsider."

I scrunched up my nose. "No way!! The floor's dirty!!" There was no way in Spira that I would call him my master. No way, no how!! Not even if it meant getting the last part for the machina.

Gippal shrugged. "Okay, then. I'll just get one of my men down here to finish the machina..."

I crossed my arms and turned away from him. "Go for it. See if I care."

He laughed again, and ruffled my hair with his hand. I turned around to tell him off, and he dropped the part into my palm. "Get that machina finished before tonight, got it?"

"Right...Hey!! I don't work for you!!" I yelled after him, but he was already walking away. I exhaled heavily, glaring at the empty space he had once occupied. "Stupid stalker." Head held high, I marched back to the machina. "I don't know who he thinks he is," I told it as I began to install the last piece. "I mean, why does he think he can just...Wait, he was tailing me? How much did he hear?" I bit my lower lip and glanced back again. Things were going a way I didn't like. I just needed to make it through the night without too much contact with Gippal.

I was afraid of what would happen if I was around him too much. What would keep me from falling in love with him all over again...?

**Okay, that's all for now...I'll try to get the next chapter up this week. Remember—reviews are _always_ welcome...Alrighty!! Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it!!**


	3. Cruubiv's Purpose in Life

**A/N: Yay, back for another chapter!!! This one's up quicker. ;) Which is good. Thanks for everyone who reviewed, and many thanks to sango-savino. Without her help and ideas, there would be no fic. ^^ Thankz again for reading and reviewing!!! Hope you enjoy. ^^**

**Chapter Three—Cruubiv's Purpose in Life**

The machina was finished. I stroked it lovingly, grinning at it like the fool I am. There was great pleasure in finishing a machina, especially if it meant sticking it to the machina king. Boy, Gippal would be surprised when he found out I finished _his_ machina. I always _had_ been good with machina, but he didn't know the details. I could hear the praising now...

"Okay, machina!! Show me what you can do!!" I cheered happily, one arm raised into the air for super dramatic effect. I waited, watching. When it didn't respond, my shoulders slouched, and I deflated. "HEY!! I'm talking to you, punk!! Show me what you can do!!! Put your foot over your head!!! Butter toast!! SOMETHING!!!"

Still nothing. It was taunting me now. I could feel it's beady little eyes watching me but not caring enough to make a move. It definitely took after Gippal.

The only way to deal with this was to go straight to the source. I turned, hands planted defiantly on my hips, and began to march to the front of Djose Temple. I got many curious looks from the Al Bhed littering the halls, but I didn't care. I would not stop my intense and purposeful marching until I was in front of Gippal.

He was in the main room of the Temple, standing casually by the steps that led to the Chamber of the Fayth. Yunie and Paine were beside him, with Yunie doing most of the talking. I'd have to continue Paine's lessons on polite conversation later....

"You're machina's defective!!" I informed him angrily.

"What do 'ya mean, defective?" He asked, acting like I'd just insulted him personally. "If it's defective, it's because you made it that way!! Can't you do anything right, Cid's Girl?" His last remark was a tease, but that didn't help his current predicament. I was the adamantoise once again. Get ready, flan, 'cause I'm ready to attack!!

"Yes, I can!! I followed your blueprint _directly_. If anyone made it defective, it was you!!" I snapped, poking him threateningly in the chest, which was a mistake from the start.

Gippal grinned a little. "I love it when you're feisty."

"Shut up!!"

"Rikku, you might want to see this..." Yunie was tapping my shoulder repetitively, watching behind me, but I was too busy to turn around. It was probably an injured Brother who had valiantly done something stupid to get Yunie to comfort him. At the moment, Gippal was more important.

"It can wait!!" I said, waving her off.

"If it's defective, you're fired," said Gippal with a shake of his head. "You seemed so promising , too..."

"I don't work for you!! I'm a Gullwing!!" I informed him proudly. " I would _never _work for someone who makes defective machina!!"

"You're the one who finished it," he reminded.

"Right!!"

"Right." This establishment seemed to please him. I had that reoccurring urge to slap him once again. "So, if it's defective, which it apparently is because you say so, it's your fault. You were the last to work on it."

Yunie tugged at my arm again impatiently. "Rikku, turn around."

"Maybe you should listen to her...," said Paine, controlled amusement on her face.

"I'm busy!!" I argued, not even blinking an eyelash. "Your machina is defective because _you _made it that way!! I told you—I followed your blueprint!!"

"If it was defective, wouldn't you have noticed it when you were so diligently following my blueprints?" he pointed out.

Aw, shoopuf. He had me. "Well..." I had to say something to get out of this. There was _no way_ in Spira that I was letting him outwit me.

"_Well_, since you didn't, and you're _so_ good with machina, I think the fault is yours." Gippal looked down, shaking his head. "My poor machina never stood a chance..."

"_HEY_!!! Quit patronizing me!!" I snapped at him indignantly.

"Wow, you know such a big word..."

"Gippal!!"

"Rikku!!" said Yunie, her hands on her hips. "Oh, poopie. When are you going to listen to me?" she groaned in an exasperated tone.

"When I'm done with this joker, we'll spend some quality Gullwing time, okay?" I said, still glaring at Gippal.

"Yeah, you'd better make other plans," he agreed. "'Cause if you can't even finish building one simple machina, then I'm afraid you can't work here..."

"I don't work here!!" I moaned sadly.

Laughing, he teasingly ruffled my hair. "Breathe, Cid's Girl."

I was about to retort that my name wasn't that hard to remember when there was a large swooping over my head. The machina that I'd been working on dive over me and tackled Gippal to the floor. I gasped, staring at it with wide eyes as it pinned him down with no apparent intentions of ever letting him get up.

"See? _That's_ what I've been trying to tell you about!!" Yunie said with a sigh of irritation. "Will you pay attention next time?"

"Nope," I said absently, marveling over it. "When did it get here? I thought it couldn't do anything!!"

"Apparently it can," said Paine, "and I don't think it likes Gippal very much."

"Good," I clarified. "I don't like him either." I frowned, scratching my chin. "But, um...why did it attack him?"

"Who cares?" Gippal said, squirming to free himself from the clutches of my machina. "Get the thing off me!!"

"No, I like this," I said, enjoying it slightly too much. He wasn't hurt, so there was no immediate reason to get it to let him go...

"It followed you out of the room," said Yunie, arms crossed. "It didn't attack either until Gippal touched you. I think it likes you."

"Aww!!" I cooed, patting the machina fondly on the head. "Good boy, Cruubiv!! You _do_ have a purpose!! To attack Gippal!! I'm so proud that you can pinpoint the enemy!!"

"Cruubiv?" Yunie repeated, perplexed.

"Yes, Cruubiv. I think it fits him quite nicely," I said. "I mean, he's big....and, um...big..."

"So you name him _shoopuf_?" Paine and Gippal mumbled in unison.

"Of course. What other name could possibly fit him?" I asked, challenging any of them to argue. "His name is Cruubiv."

"Great. Whatever. Cruubiv. Will you get _Cruubiv_ off of me?" Gippal snapped. He looked hot when he was angry.

No, Rikku, don't think that way!! You're falling for his charms, and he's not even trying to charm you!!

With a sigh, I grinned at Cruubiv. "Okay, I think you taught him a lesson. Let him go...for now." My grin broadened as Cruubiv obediently strolled off him and took a position behind me, like an angry sentinel waiting for Gippal to make the wrong move again. Well...he actually was waiting for Gippal to make the wrong move again (and I wasn't sure what the wrong move was, but it was bad in his case). 'There, 'ya big baby. Happy now?"

Gippal stood up, dusting off his thighs. I couldn't help but watching him. I quickly returned to my super-mega-pout-mode before he could notice. "Yeah, it's defective alright. It likes _you_."

"HEY!! I can order him to attack you again!!" I crossed my arms and stuck my tongue out at him. "Shouldn't you be working on Shinra's failure—ah, I mean, airship?"

"I've got a buncha my guys on the job," he said slowly, like I should've know this already and was an idiot for questioning him. "However, I do have more work to be done. Try not to cause any more havoc—and keep that thing under control while you're at it." He grinned at me and cast a wary glance at Cruubiv walking toward the exit of the temple. I found myself turning to watching him go, an urge I didn't like or know what to do about. It was happening again. I was falling into him all too easily, and I had a love-hate relationship with the whole thing. Of all places, why did Shinra have to crash land us here?

"Rikku?"

I turned my gaze on Yunie. "Yep?"

She frowned a little and shook her head. "Nothing. Just wondering what you plan on doing with, um...Cruubiv?"

"OOHH!!" I bounced on the balls of my feet energetically, trying to push Gippal out of my head. I prattled on about the things that I was going to have Cruubiv do (even though I had no idea what the machina was built for), ignoring Paine's eye. She was wearing a little knowing smile, as if she saw right through my facade. She was scary good at that, too. I'd have to remind her of the sphere I found recently with Baralai on it...

Then, from outside of the temple, came the shouts of one word that we all knew too well.

_Fiends_.

**Okay, that's it. I hope you enjoyed it!! Thanks for reading, and I'll update soon!!**


	4. Veahtc

**Oh wow….I haven't updated this one in a while. ^^ It makes me happy that I spontaneously decided to update again (And I really hope it makes you happy too…) Sorry for the long wait…I haven't had much free time lately (I know, I know, screw the excuses and get on with chapter four.) I'm praying that I'll get more of an urge to write in this one once it's been updated. ^^ Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and thanks to everyone who reviewed. I take your comments to the heart. 3 Thanks again, and please enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own any characters from Final Fantasy. *sad face***

**Chapter Four—Veahtc**

_ Veahtc. Fiends._ I knew the word so well. The notion of enemy fiends just outside the old temple made my blood boil and my fingers twitch with excitement. I had always been that way, since I was raised in the time of Sin. I never knew when I might need to defend myself. After the Eternal Calm came upon us, I found the ache of bloodlust almost constantly present. I couldn't unwind. I still couldn't. I felt the familiar excitement tingling in my limbs, and a wide grin captured my lips.

"Gullwings!" Yunie looked between Paine and me, and I knew exactly what she was thinking. We were all thinking it: time to get down to business! It was time to prove that I was a Gullwing, not one of Gippal's lackeys (since he seemed to be under the impression that I worked for him…)

We ran out of the temple, the sound of Paine and Yunie's heels on the stone pavement joining the loud thunders from al bhed guns. I reached for my double daggers as we exited into the blistering sun. I squinted, glancing eagerly around. I saw al bhed everywhere; their guns were aimed toward the fiends piling in from the road. Other people, visitors and volunteers signing up to dig in Bikanel, ducked into the temple or bent down along the side of the road.

"What are all these fiends doing here?" Yunie murmured as she held up her shiny gun. Her breathing was even, but she looked worried. I knew what she was thinking; last time monsters were around the temples, we had to fight an aeon and a crazy guy tried to blow up Spira… I doubted the circumstances were as serious this time. Gippal probably attracted the _veahtc_, knowing him.

"Think about that later. We have bigger problems," Paine reasonably pointed out as she nodded toward a swarm of bite bugs following a herd of garm toward the temple.

"Good point…" Yunie swallowed her concern and took a shot at one of the blue bugs, nailing it right in the wing. It sputtered toward the ground, and its brethren kept going without it. Being a fiend must suck.

"Way to go, Dr. P! Get Yunie back on track!" I spun, swinging back my right dagger right into a garm's face. It growled at me in pain, lashing out at me with one of its large paws. The unsheathed claws were already covered in blood, and I wondered which one of my fellow al bhed had fallen to this fiend. I smoothly dodged the talons and raised my dagger for the killing blow. Before I could land the attack, though, Cruubiv dashed out of _nowhere_ and began to kick the crap out of the poor garm.

Okay then. The machina _did_ have a purpose, other than beating up Gippal. Protecting my bum!

There was a downfall, though…Every fiend I tried to attack, Cruubiv beat me to it. I was beginning to feel a little let down. Why didn't it go protect Yunie? Everyone wanted to protect Yunie!

"They're beginning to let up," Yunie breathed as she paused beside me. We both scanned the area, finding only a couple of garm and one or two basilisks, but al bhed were already taking care of them. I wiped my daggers on a small tuft of weed and checked for any injured. A couple al bhed were unmoving on the ground; others were breathing heavy, leaning up against the layered mountainside surrounding Djose. I thought I heard a crying kid, and I cringed.

"Why did they even attack…?" I wondered aloud, not really expecting anyone to give me an answer. After all, which one of us knew the answer? We only remembered the chaos that caused crazy fiend attacks like these, and I hoped Shuyin hadn't made a spontaneous comeback.

"I hope my new airship is okay…" Shinra was pacing in front of the temple. I jumped, having forgotten that he was even there. He had offered to fix Gippal's commsphere while the repairs were being done to the new airship. Now, he was probably regretting that. "If the fiends hurt it too much, we might have to use the Celsius again while I make my necessary repairs…"

"The airship!" I gasped. Gippal and the crew were working on the airship, weren't they? If the fiends made it as far as the temple, then certainly they passed by Gippal… What if…

No, Rikku! Don't be an idiot! Gippal can take care of himself! I could only imagine the taunting grin he would give me if he found out I was worried about him.

_"What's the matter, Cid's Girl? Afraid I'll get hurt? I never knew you cared so much…"_

Ugh! Get the idea out of your head! Gippal is probably fine! He's a big boy! He can take care of himself…

Paine, either somehow guessing my inner panic attack or truly concerned, frowned and faced Yunie. "Gippal and the others might have encountered some trouble. We should go make sure they didn't get injured. Those were a lot of angry fiends… Gippal might know what upset them so much."

"Right," Yunie agreed eagerly. "Buddy and Brother are out there, too. They might need our help!" Leave it up to Yunie to worry about everyone. Leave it up to me to only worry about Gippal.

"You don't think something could have happened, right?" I followed alongside Paine and Yunie as they headed toward the bridge leading away from the temple. I stepped around a garm carcass and stepped into beat beside them. "Right? Gippal's tough. He would shoot any fiend in the face before it could lay a claw on him!"

"You seem awfully worried about someone you don't like," Paine commented calmly, raising an eyebrow at me. I hated those knowing, wine red eyes of hers. She was too smart.

I flapped my hands anxiously and gave a nervous laugh. "No, no, no…I'm only concerned about the airship. If anything happened to it, we could get stuck here with that stuck-up pretty boy longer than I want to be! Come to think of it, I should give the airship a name… How about…Lrulupu!" I liked it well enough.

Paine offered a faint chuckle. "Chocobo? I don't think so."

"Suukma?"

"Suukma? What's that?" Yunie asked curiously.

"Moogle," Paine answered. "It's Shinra's airship. Shouldn't he be the one to name it?"

"Nonsense! He'll give it some lame name like he did the Celsius! I would rather ride a shoopuf!" I proclaimed importantly. We had stepped onto the road now, and the trees shielded us from the cruel rays of the sun. I stayed on alert for fiends, a little hopeful that we encountered some. I didn't get to fight enough, thanks to Cruubiv.

"Is that a promise?" Paine muttered and walked ahead, a small smile on her lips. What a bully she was! I glared at her back before dashing off after her, Yunie in hot pursuit.

I was glad for the small talk. It distracted me from the notion that Gippal could have gotten hurt in the fiend attack. One wrong move could have ended him, and I didn't want to think about that yet. I wanted to think about naming the airship and fiends and shoopufs, not Gippal or his welfare. Until I had to think about him, I could ignore his very existence.

I also tried to ignore the gentle thunder of Crubbiv's mechanical feet as he followed behind us.

**Okayyy that's it for now…I promise to update soon (because I haven't said that before, right?) Reviews will help with that, by the way… I would really like to hear your opinion. ^^ Anyway, thank you for reading again! - 3 TBB**


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